Uv Ajed
by Emsico
Summary: Doing things over again isn't easy. Especially when you shouldn't even be there in the first place...   An OC or two plus everyone else.
1. I'm Not Dead Yet

"…**you're dying."**

"**I know that!"**

"**Do you…not want to die?"**

"**Of course! Even existences like mine… want to live…."**

"**I can't say I like the sound of that."**

"**Heh, but wouldn't it be better if it hadn't turned out this way?"**

"…**Yes, it would have."**

"**Hey, kid. "**

"**Hmm?"**

"**I still have some power left…"**

"**Forget it."**

"**Just be quiet and listen…"**

"…"

"**I can…send you to stop it."**

"**Is that even possible?"**

"**Yes, I could. It would be difficult, but I could. And then you-"**

"**Why would you help me?"**

"**Haha! Ow…no, I would not be helping you. You really don't know?"**

"**Yeah, I'd thought of it. But I'd never-"**

"**I've already done it."**

"**You! You thought that far ahead?"**

"**It's only natural, since something like this happened."**

"**But I'd never-"**

"**I know. But if you were to succeed…"**

"…**Then it would…Ugh, I guess when you put it that way, I could accept. You're surprisingly persuasive."**

"**What, you thought I wouldn't be? I'm hurt."**

"**Pfft. Up until now you weren't very…ahem…easy to talk to."**

"**Ha! Wily one, aren't you?"**

"**So, we going to do it?" **

"**Of course, then you'd have **_**them**_** to deal with…"**

"**Don't start spouting ominous stuff at this point."**

"**Then do you accept?"**

"**Yes."**

"**Then we are in agreement. Do not fail me…"**

"**I should be telling you that."**

"**Ha! And what good would that do you?"**

"…**I suppose it might make me feel a bit better."**

"**You…I wouldn't mind making a contract with you…"**

"**We already made one, didn't we?"**

"**You know that's not what I meant."**

* * *

Barking…I could hear barking… _What is that? Be quiet. Please… My head is throbbing..my eyes feel so dry…can I open them?_ Slowly, so slowly, my eyes open. The light comes streaming in as if it has been waiting to invade once I raised my lids. I shut them, this time they obey my command faster. I try to move a hand to my face. It feels so stiff. I shield my eyes and open them. _Where…am I?_ The surroundings are murkier than I thought. The ground feels damp, and the sky is so cloudy. I roll over and push myself up into a sitting position. Now that I'm up…I feel much better.

I stand up slowly, worried I might still be weak. But it seems like I'm fine. _What happened? _I rub my hands together against the damp chill. I notice that my right hand feels warm on my left. Looking down I see an orange glow, and a symbol. Even as I watch the glow fades, and all it is is a light mark upon my skin. It looks like some tattoo, with soft, cloudlike flames curling up my arm. I push up my sleeve and see with fascination that it ends just below my shoulder.

_This looks different than it should…_ I flex my arm, but feel no pain. The orange has faded now, I can hardly see it. In fact, I would not see it if I didn't know it was there; even still I have to squint hard. _Ugh…anyways, I need to find food..or shelter…or something in this kind of situation, right? _

I hear barking again, and turn my head quickly. _What was that? A dog? It didn't really sound very doglike… maybe a wolf!__Well shoot, that doesn't sound very good. _Yet I know that if they are hungry…I am alone. I must find someone else…and so I begin walking, down this road that I have found myself upon…

* * *

The two carts rattled along the road, each one led by a pair of horses.

"Ahh, nothing like a good vacation by the sea!" Finni yelled out, laughing happily.

"But wasn't it more of a nightmare?..." both Meirin and Bard said to each other.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Finni said. He smiled and laughed at Pluto, who was following along behind. "Haha, good boy," he laughed again as Pluto attempted to take a bite out of the cart, making the horses pulling it stutter under his weight.

Sebastion turned around with a gleam in his eye. With a yelp Pluto stood up straighter, and ran to the front cart, wagging his tail happily.

"Sebastion, I think he wants to sit with you," Ciel said with a small smirk on his face.

"Surely the Master jests," Sebastion said with a smile. Pluto barked and jumped up, landing next to Sebastion in human form and attempting to lick his face. Sebastion looked sideways at Pluto and held his hand straight up. Pluto simply licked the hand, continuing to make happy noises. Sebastion, with a look of mild irritation, pushed his hand into Pluto's face to keep him away.

"Ah! Look!" Finni cried out, pointing to a person passed out on the side of the road. Both Sebastion and Tanaka slowed the horses.

"Ah?" Ciel said, annoyed. "What is it?"

"It appears there is someone passed out on the road," Sebastion replied in an apathetic tone.

"How troublesome…" Ciel said, looking off to the side.

Finni jumped off the cart as soon as it began to slow. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked the unconscious person. It looked like a girl. He was hesitant to touch her, in case he were to accidently hurt her; she looked very fragile.

"Finni, what's wrong?" Ciel questioned from his carriage, his impatience obvious in his voice.

"Young Master! There's a girl on the side of the road. Can't we please help her?" he asked with both fists raised in determination.

It reminded him a little bit too much of Pluto. "No." Though he had to admit, looking at Pluto now…anything to get Sebastian to break that maddening straight face.

Sebastion's eyes narrowed at the image of the young girl. "Master, perhaps you might wish to help her?"

"I don't have time for such troublesome things." Ciel said this with finality, his eyes closed and his head leaning against his hand. At this Sebastion started the front carriage up once more.

"But…" Finni looked sadly at the small figure. He carefully picked her up and jumped into the cart as Tanaka started it up again.

"Oi, Finni…" Bard said warily, looking up at the cart in front of them, "You can't intend to go against the Master's word…"

Finni looked down sadly. "I know, but I can't just leave someone who's all alone…"

Meirin looked down at the girl, adjusting her glasses and staring intently at the crumpled figure.

"Finni, Master has spoken." Sebastion said from the front cart.

Finni jumped guiltily and stared sadly downwards. Tanaka stopped the cart and he laid her back down on the side of the road. Sebastion stopped his cart and waited for the other one before resuming movement.

"That really was quite cruel, Young Master," Sebastion said once the cart had resumed movement.

Ciel looked to the sky, bored. "We've been in this place too long; Sebastion, I want to reach home by tonight."

Sebastion's lips parted and the tips of his mouth turned up into a small smile. "Yes, my lord.

"O-oi, Finni…" Bard trails off and scratched his head. Finni was looking sullenly back down the road.

"I wonder if she's okay…" he rubbed his finger along the bottom of the wagon.

"I'm sure she'll be fine!" Meirin popped in, once again adjusting her glasses. "You may not have noticed, but she looked pretty strong!" she said enthusiastically.

"Really? I'm glad," Finni said, already in a more cheerful mood, forgetting about how small the girl had looked before.

Bard looked back. "Will it really be okay?" he said to himself. As Finni and Meirin began to chat happily about supper, he joined in, lifting his arms up and naming all the 'things' he planned to 'make'.

"They sound like they're enjoying themselves," Sebastion said.

"I don't understand how they can be so happy, it's just dinner."

"They are taking joy in life, Young Master."

"What joy is there to be found in such trifling things? Worthless."

Suddenly Pluto perked up and stopped trying to gnaw on Sebastion's wrist. He jumped of, rattling the cart, and landed in his dog form. He ran off back down the path, barking.

"Are you sure you'll leave it like that, Young Master?"

"Given the way things are, that dog wouldn't dare not come back."

"Oh?"

"After all, his favorite thing is right here."

Sebastion laughed. "You are quite cruel, Young Master."

"Ah! Look, look!" Finni shouted as Pluto bounded back up from behind.

Passing the back cart, Pluto ran up to the front cart, tail wagging. He deposited the drool-covered body of the girl on the bench next to Sebastion. He was, to say the least, displeased with the slime that covered him when her body leaned onto him. Pluto whined happily.

"Just what are you trying to do?" Sebastion looked back off to the center of the road. Pluto jumped up again on the cart and barked happily, though now it kind of sounded like a yell, since he was in human form again.

_At least he has enough sense to not break the cart. _"Sebastion, what did Pluto bring?"

"That girl from before. Do you wish me to get rid of her?"

Ciel sighed. "Didn't I already tell you to?"

Pluto, in all his happy, somewhat awkward -considering he was in a human form-, shows of affection for Sebastion accidentally knocked the girl off the cart. He paused a few moments before whining and turning to jump back off. Sebastion grabbed him by the back of the neck. "Oh? And where were you going?" Pluto turned around happily with sparkles in his eyes and jumped for Sebastion's face. Sebastion pushed him off the cart. Pluto, in dog form, sniffed the ground and ran off again. Sebastion sighed to himself. _Perhaps too much carrot?..._

After a while Pluto returned once again with the girl in his mouth. This time the dried saliva and the fresh saliva melded together to create truly a unique and wonderful scent. He rushed up and dropped her beside Sebastion again, running off quickly to go sniff some grass.

"Oh, my. It seems we just can't get rid of her." Sebastion looked at Pluto with narrowed eyes and eyed the filthy girl half on the cart seat next to him while giving Ciel another smile that clearly conveyed the wish to _get her off his cart_ and somewhere else.

Ciel huffed, the voice of Finni calling out in the background, "Fine, we'll take her with us." Finni's happy cries could now be heard. "Just…get her filth off of my cart!"

Sebastion picked up the girl and jumped back to the second cart. "Here is the girl; Master, from his bottomless heart, has decided to take her with us." He dropped the girl in the cart and jumped back to the one in front, once again taking the reins.

"Quite kind of you to help her," Sebastion said rather teasingly.

"The stupid dog wouldn't leave her alone if we threw her off again."

"And what do you intend to do when we reach the Young Master's home?"

"We'll leave her by the gates. Then we won't have to worry about that dog bringing her in."

"You know the others will not like that."

"Ugh, this is so troubling."

"Might I suggest she help out at the house?"

"I don't need anyone else."

"I have a feeling she may get along well with those three."

"And why should I care about that?"

"I'm sorry, Master, just a passing thought."

Ciel huffed again and stared out at the passing countryside. "So troublesome…"

* * *

The girl's head hurt terribly, like it had been repeatedly bashed against a rock. A hard rock. Her eyes fluttered open and with a slight moan she looked around. And she sat bolt upright when she had absolutely no idea where she was. She was laying on a bed in a small room, quilts and blankets and hats and feathers and…um…cats lay strewn around the room. _Well, looks like I was saved._ One of the cats, a big white fluffy one, mewed and padded over, seeing the movement. It hopped up and rubbed herself against the girl, purring.

"Um, hi." As the cat turned, its massive poufy tail whapped right into her face, and she got a breath full of cat hair. She sputtered, "Phoo!" But she also laughed, glad to finally have something relatively normal to get bothered by. Yeah, that would last about two seconds.

She could hear loud laughter from below her. _Either they have fun dungeons, or I'm on the second floor…_ She dismissed the dungeon thought. Nobody who liked cats could be all that bad. Except for all those villains who always had a big, fluffy, white cat. Just. Like. This. One.

The cat turned and meowed, its face a vision of pure innocence.

"I'm onto you," the girl said to its face. It rubbed its head against her again then rolled onto its back, with its little paws in the air. "Aw, that just isn't fair," she said, petting the dangling paws. But as she did she felt a dark, sinister presence watching her. Turning her eyes carefully, so they wouldn't know she was looking for them, she scanned the room. And spotted a cat giving her the most scathing look she'd ever seen. From a cat. And she'd seen some pretty scathing cats. It was pure black, and slim without being skinny. Its long black whiskers were perfectly still, as was the rest of it, perched atop a dresser. What was most striking about it, however, were its two icy blue eyes. _Aren't black cats supposed to have yellow eyes? To make 'em more spooky?_ Though she had to admit that on this cat, the blue was just fine.

"Azel" she said, without thinking. One of the ears of the unmoving cat flicked. "That's your name. Well, unless you already have a name." The cat seemed to give her a suddenly hostile look. Yet again, without moving. It was like a statue, or a shadow.

Suddenly all the cats in the room tensed, making it kind of eerie and creepy. Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs and down the hall. The white cat straightened itself and with another mew, hopped off the bed and raced for the door. All of the others did the same. Except for Azel, who still refused to move. And the girl refused to lose eye contact with the cat, until the sound of the door opening made her look over. She didn't see it, but Azel flicked his tail then, and hopped down to the ground from his perch.

"Well hi-dee-doo! You're awake!" A middle-aged woman strode in, placing a bowl on the floor. Supposedly for the cats. "So, feeling bright and chipper again now? Well, I shan't say again, for we've only just met." She smiled. "Name's Abel, nice to meet you."

The girl watched slowly from the bed, examining the woman as she walked in. While she was middle aged, she looked young; most certainly young enough to be told so. She had long auburn hair snapped into a ponytail, and was wearing a dull red dress. Her brown eyes were so dark they looked like chocolate…which made the girl's stomach rumble. She seemed nice enough, and besides, the girl wouldn't have had enough energy to do anything anyways. She hadn't had any food, -as she was reminded by the rumble- and she had been almost mortally exhausted just a day before. A day? Had it really been just a day? Either way, she didn't feel like she'd eaten anytime recently. Apparently feeding a sleeping person was difficult. And with that thought… _God, I hope I didn't…have to go to the bathroom…_ Well, at least she still felt filthy, a sign that no one had attempted to clean her while she slept.

She realized the woman wasn't waiting for a reply. "Well, made this for you," Abel said, placing a bowl of some sort of soup and a tray on the girl's lap. There was also a small hunk of…'bread' there as well. It was kind of lumpy, and smelled an awful lot like seafood. But it wasn't seafood. The girl reached out and scarfed down the bread, wincing a little as she bit into some hard spots, not caring about the taste. Which was pretty bad.

"Reily cooked that. He's my son. I'm surprised you can stomach it. He's just got no culinary sense. Or any sense when it comes to anything not in a book." She sniffed. "I would have cooked something myself, but we've just been very busy lately. Oh, we run a hat shop, and a clothing shop, too," she added in suddenly as of the girl had asked a question. "Ah, careful with the soup, it's hot. Now, don't worry, it isn't poisonous. Very. Oh, you'll live."

The girl ate the soup, quickly figuring that this lady wasn't about to be quiet, so she'd just let her talk. And yes, the food did taste horrible, which she had the joy of noticing the less hungry she got.

"So, I hear they found you on the side of the road a ways out from here. You're lucky, you know. The young Phantomhive boy saved you, if you could believe it."

At this the girl looked up. "Phantomhive?"

"She speaks!" Abel exclaimed. "Yes, odd one, that. His parents died in a fire, very tragic. Lives all by himself, now. Oh, well, except for his servants and that butler of his. He was the one that brought you here, you know. While the others waited outside. Apparently back from a vacation. Can't see why they would go in this gloomy weather we've been having recently. Though to tell the truth it's always gloomy."

The girl was fighting an urge to slap Abel and get her to the point. "They brought me here?" she asked quickly, to get the woman to stop rambling.

"Ah, yes. Yes yes yes! That butler brought you in. Ahh, he's so handsome~"

The girl couldn't help but blush at the thought of being carried, half-dead or not, by someone apparently handsome. Although he could also be really old, and creepy. After all, Abel looked…okay, she didn't actually look that old. So she probably would only find young people attractive… "Why?" was all she could think of to ask.

"Why? Well, that dark, sexy, hunk of a man-" the girl coughed- "Brought you in here, said something about a dog, and not being able to get rid of you. Hmm, doesn't sound very nice now that I say it again…."

The girl couldn't help a small smile. "So Abel made them able to get rid of me."

Abel smiled, startled, and patted the girl's head, who flinched just the tiniest bit. "Yes, I suppose that's true," she said almost wistfully. The girl tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "Well, seems you're chipper enough now, if you can be making jokes like that. How's about we get you cleaned up?"

"Wa-wait-" the girl said as Abel tugged her out of bed.

"Now, I've got a hot bath of water waiting for you. To tell the truth, that's why the food is so horrible. Would you believe Reily went out and used all our spending money to buy such a nice tub? Well, that was a while ago, so I suppose it's just his cooking." She sighed again. "Alright dearie, off with those clothes," Abel hummed, beginning to undress the girl.

"W-what are you doing!" The girl backed away, almost slipping on the floor.

"Why, dearie, you cannot be saying you want to take your bath with your clothes on," she said, smiling and with her hands on her hips.

"Well no, I'm not going to take it with my clothes on…" As she petered off Abel moved forward as if by invitation and proceeded to attempt again to 'help'. "Why are you- I can do it myself!" She scrambled back again and tripped over something on the floor. Something _Furry._ "Wha- Oof!" She scrunched up her eyes as her head hit the wooden floor.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" She could hear Abel fussing. When she opened her eyes she saw 'Azel' looking down at her. He twitched his whiskers and walked off. "Stupid cat…" she mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her head.

"Well come on! If you keep puttering around like this you will never get clean!" Abel helped the girl off the floor and led her out the door and into a narrow hallway. _At least she's stopped trying to strip me…_ "Here we are." Abel pushed open yet another narrow door to a relatively large 'bathroom'. At least the floor was made from chipped tiles. But the wall was wood paneling, and there was no obvious sink. Yet the main attraction of this event was a gathering of standing curtains in the middle of the room surrounding a large porcelain tub –with little brass paws and everything- that was filled with what looked like hopefully near-boiling hot water. "Now off with those clothes!" Abel exclaimed merrily, pulling up on the girl's shirt.

"For the last time no!" She watched Abel's startled and saddened face. She felt bad for making the woman sad, but it was weird: who got upset over not being able to strip someone naked? Maybe Abel was crazy. Er, wait, that couldn't be it…The girl suddenly remembered where she was. "I mean, ah…I'm kind of from far away, and there we, um, bathe _ourselves_. Without help."

There was a pause as Abel watched the girl, not moving. Then suddenly, "Aha! I see. You know, you do talk a might bit strange, I _thought_ you might be from somewhere far away. Tell me, is it somewhere exotic? It must be civilized, I hope."

"America."

Before she had even finished the word Abel began to say something more, "I really should leave you to it. I hope you feel better, dearie." She moved to the door and out, and just as she was about to shut it completely, she poked her head back in. "I find it a tad embarrassing but- what was your name?"

"Abigail," she replied, as Abel nodded and closed the door among mutterings of "Pretty name" and "It would be impolite of a host to not ask" and "I wonder if she would like my Reily."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Heyo! I decided to put this at the bottom since at the top it kind of detracted from the story. So, this is my first FanFic, and if anyone's wondering the plot came from a dream I had which I decided to squish into Kuroshitsuji. And thus Uv Ajed was born! I tried to make the characters like they are in the anime, but I really don't know how well I did. Any feedback would be much appreciated, and if you like the way it's going or if you want it to go a certain way [ Romance, perhaps?... ] feel free to say something!

Chapter One's a bit long, since it's everything I splarfed out onto a page over the course of I don't remember how long. I thought to cut it into prologue and chp 1, but I figured I might as well do it this way. ANYWHOO. Enough of my babble. So...you likie? Ways to improve? Any ideas on what's going on? Abigail will be making her way to the mansion by-and-by. And thanks for watching! Er, reading...


	2. A Bath, a Cat, and a Hat, Oh My!

Abigail, glad to be alone, began walking to the tub Abel had prepared for her but paused when out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. _Oh god. A mirror._ She pointedly ignored the darned thing. She would have liked to have slid out of her clothes, but it was more like peeling and scrabbling at the edges till she could get out of them. At least her entrance to the water was graceful. Somewhat.

A sigh escaped her lips. The water felt ,well, _very good._ There was a moment or two of silence before the vigorous scrubbing started. Avoiding the details, Abigail ended up much cleaner than before.

"I want to check out my arm…" she trailed off as she looked down at the grimy water. "Better get out of this." She stood up, steadying herself with her hands on the side of the bathtub, and put both feet on the floor. Sitting on the edge of the tub she traced those faint clouds on her arm. Or at least where she thought they'd be. "Where did you go?..."

ME-OW

Abigail narrowed her eyes at the little black cat on the floor. Azel. It was as if the little guy was trying to say 'here I am'. "I see ya. How did you get in here?"

Azel flicked his ear.

Abigail was suddenly aware of the fact that she was naked. _Oh don't be ridiculous. He's just a cat._

Azel continued to stare with those frosty eyes. _A freaking creepy cat_. "Stop staring like that." He didn't stop. She reached down and picked him up –with surprisingly little protest- and set him on her lap facing away. "There. Now you can look at that nice wall." But almost immediately the cat tried to turn around.

"Oh no you don't." Abigail picked Azel up to find he was purring. "Stay..this…no…hey!" Azel squirmed around until she dropped him…right in the bath tub. He screeched and splashed and launched himself back out and into the corner of the room. "Whoops. Sorry. You know, it's your fault for squirming." That earned her a dirty look from the cat. Which she promptly stuck her tongue out at.

"Okay, okay..clothes…" _No way am I wearing my old ones. They're…doomed. _She noticed a little pile of something on the floor and picked it up to find… "A dress. You've got to be kidding me." Red. Black. Dark. "Oh well." Tight. She went to check herself in the mirror. "Huh…not bad." At least in was so tight that is barely felt like a dress besides the tell-tale 'breeze between the knees'.

"Alright Azel. Let's go." The cat grumpily followed her out the door. Following the sound of Abel's sort-of familiar voice Abigail found her way to the stairs. And down them too.

"Now, Riley, if I've told you once I've told you darned near a thousand times. Orange does not, under any circumstance, go right next to the purple flower. It goes right there with the yellow." A loud sigh. "Oh, my poor son. So hopeless with hats. If only- Ah! Abigail!" she said, having noticed the girl standing in the doorway. Azel was still at the top of the stairs. "You look…better. I knew a nice bath would get you just right and well again."

Abel thought Abigail looked more than just 'better'. She knew her intuition had been right. Before Abigail had looked horrible. Hair all over the place, and dirt and grime covering the body. But now…why, she certainly was a nice looking young lady. Mother's eyes wandered discreetly to view a son's first impression.

"Look, mother. I just fail to see why I have to make…are you listening to me?" Riley turned in his chair to see Abigail in the doorway. He stared for a few seconds before turning wordlessly back to his hat.

"Oh my! It seems a good first impression has been made. Cheers to you both! Would you care for-"

"Abel." Abigail made sure to say it with force so that the woman would listen. Abigail avoided looking at Riley, and so did not notice the small blush at his mother's comment. "I wanted to thank you for everything…" she trailed off, not sure how to segue into the whole 'but I need to leave now' part.

"Oh, well you shouldn't worry about thanks! Why, it just seemed right and natural, what with the way you were brought to me and- My goodness! You shouldn't be thanking me! You need to get right on up to the Phantomhive estate and thank the ones that saved you!"

"Well I really need to-"

"I'm not sure quite who to thank. The young master, of course. But perhaps…_Sebastion_ too, hmm?"

The way Abel said Sebastion freaked Abigail out. "Well I-"

"Not another word! You head right out that door and straight there!" Abel was already pushing Abigail straight to said door. "And be sure to come right back when you're all finished! I'll be sure to have a nice supper waiting. Riley and I look forward to your return!" And with that she pushed Abigail out onto the street and shut the door.

"Huh. That was weird." Abigail considered just leaving. After all, she had something to do. But just as she took a step she almost stumbled and fell. Over something furry. And black. "…Azel." The black cat watched her with that stare of his. "Great. You coming to make sure I do what she said." His ear flicked. "What, is that your answer for everything?" Another flick of the ear. She sighed. "Oh well. I guess it couldn't hurt."

As she started off, her shoes tapping on the cobblestones of the road, Azel silently stood and followed.

Back at Abel's store, the mother was fussing over Riley's hat again when she stopped suddenly. "I forgot to tell her where to go!"

* * *

**So, a decidedly shorter chapter this time, but...at least it's here! Not much happened but...oh well. Next chapter will have action, I promise!**


	3. I'm Not Lost

Abigail wandered the streets, having long ago realized that she had no idea where she was going. Though the black cat walking a ways ahead of her seemed to, considering he was, after all, walking _ahead_. They came to a fork in the road –which was at this point more of a small space between buildings- and Azel turned right, then looked back expectantly at Abigail.

"Oh, you want me to go _that _way?"

Me-ow.

"Then I'm going _this _way," the girl answered, turning down the left alley way.

Me-_owww_, Azel grumbled. Well, since he was a cat, it was more of a low growl. If Abigail hadn't known he was the one making it she may have been a bit freaked. Yup, that cat _was_ freaking spooky.

In time, the end of the path grew lighter –or as light as it could grow in this city, anyways- and the sound of many voices drifted through the air. "See? This way was obviously better than yours." Azel flicked his tail in annoyance; he had walked behind the girl ever since she had taken the –obviously wrong- left path.

They came out into the edge of a much broader street, the sides of it lined with shops. There were sidewalks with people dressed in clothes similar to what Abel had dressed Abigail in walking about. There was also an actual street, with horse drawn carriages passing through or stopping for their passengers to disembark. Abigail sighed. "It's busy, I guess…At least there aren't any cars." Azel looked up at Abigail, as if she had said something odd, but she had already walked ahead and he was forced to spring forwards to not get left behind.

If the cat hadn't realized the girl was stubborn before, it certainly knew it when dusky red of sunset arrived and they were still walking in circles. Then again, Abigail hadn't been wasting time. Somehow, she'd managed to get ahold of a ridiculously tiny hat, two candlesticks painted gold, and a frankly _disturbing_ statue from some godforsaken 'vacation' spot.

The lively chatter and bustle of passerby had faded as the last footsteps turned around the corner. The streetlights flickered dimly as the day reached its twilight, the time when the dwellers of the light had retreated into their homes and those of the dark had yet to crawl from their abyss.

And _this girl_ was _still_ walking around as if she wouldn't get mugged at any second. Or, you know, _something else_. The cat snickered to itself and the girl looked around at it questioningly.

"You got a cold or something, Azel?"

The cat flicked his tail and the girl shrugged, turning another corner. Following, the cat was greeted by the girl stopped on the sidewalk, the street empty except for a lone figure in a long, red coat, hair the same scarlet color reminiscent of blood.

"Oh my, you _have _been busy. Or rather not busy at all," the figure chastened, searching through a list in her…his…its hands. "Just appeared on my list, and you haven't even _done_ anything! How dreadfully _dull._ And here I was hoping for something _fun_. " The red man –yes, _man_- pulled out a puny rapier and, with a look of distaste, slid the end of it over his tongue. "And mean old William didn't even give me a _proper_ death scythe. Ah well," he said, flourishing it with a sigh. "I'll make it-"

"Jeez, are you _done_ yet?" Abigail called out angrily. Though the cat could tell she was scared, after all, any human would be scared in this- "Great, I look for one of you guys all day, and I get a nut." The girl shifted her weight, hands on her hips.

"Oh my~ You were looking for me?" The brief smile of sharp teeth disappeared in an instant, replaced with a bored expression. "But that just makes it dull, I think. I'm really not in the mood for some small fry female." He suddenly leapt forwards and, before the girl or cat could blink, a crimson spray flew from Abigail's chest and the girl fell sideways against a lamp post. Out of her wound unfurled images like those of a camera, telling a story of her life….


	4. Memories

_I always had an easy life._

Images roll past of a young girl with flowing black hair and husky blue eyes running through a garden, under trellises dotted with roses.

_It was so perfect._

A golden dog comes to run alongside the girl and her mouth opens in a laugh. The dog circles her, and runs when she tries to catch it. In the distance, sitting on a bench, are a man and a woman. The man shares the girl's blue eyes, the woman her dark hair. A small boy, looking almost identical to the girl, waddles forwards, wanting to play as well.

_For my whole life, I thought, 'I'm special.'_

Pictures flash of friends that play with the young girl, only to be scolded by tall dark figures and carried away.

_I thought, 'Life is wonderful'_

The girl, now older and with chin length hair, walks a hallway of light, surrounded by the brighter halves of her friends as, in reflected images, others are surrounded by dark crowds of hatred, teasing and bullying.

_Nothing could touch me._

Images now show a slightly younger –than-now Abigail, with hair just past her shoulders, dancing through pristine school hallways. All around her friends stab each other in the back, with smiles plastered to their faces. Boyfriends and girlfriends have their hearts torn on a wild rollercoaster ride of a relationship. Students slink to dark corners to escape reality. But she is still surrounded by that circle of friends, a halo of light protecting her from the darkness of the world.

_Until that day._

A long yellow vehicle, a carriage with no horses, draws Abigail towards a city with buildings that seem to scrape the sky. She seems bored, almost, until the image begins to shake violently. The sky turns an apocalyptic orange and the air heats with tension. The bus stops in the road, the children press their faces to the glass.

_It was the day I learned fear._

A dark figure appeared in the sky, a tiny speck that grew larger and larger. A low bussing sound permeates the air, and the children begin to fidget. A fight breaks out near the back.

_It was the day I learned loss._

The figure draws closer; it seems to be aiming directly for the small vehicle. And as it gets closer it becomes clear just how massive it is. A huge storm of dust follows its flight, and the buzzing gets louder and louder. Then, just as its deformed head, its shriveled limbs, its crooked wings can be seen it passes the bus, at least a hundred feet to the side and a hundred above the ground. The bus careens into a roll, hit by a massive wind. It crashes into the ground, tumbling in circles. The windows break, kids scream, bodies fly. From the image, Abigail is nowhere to be seen.

_It was the day I made a contract._

In the ally, Abigail gripped the lamp post with white knuckles, panting heavily. The reel of life had stopped just short of the end.

"My my, your story gives me _quite_ the headache. I can't decide whether it's dull or not, it's so far from making _sense._" The red Reaper sighed, then lifted his blade high in the air. "Ah well, I'll just end it now, no reason to watch the _whole_ thing."

As he brought the sword down in an arc, Abigail gritted her teeth, not willing to believe this would be the end.

It wasn't.

The Reaper's eyes widened. Before him stood a man with soft black hair and icy blue eyes, holding the tip of his sword between just two fingers. "Rather rude, I would say, to not even wait for the ending, _Reaper_." He pushed the blade easily to the side, the stunned Reaper providing little resistance. "I was _so_ looking forward to it," he purred, glancing down to the girl at his side. In one sweep he lifted her into his arms and she, having lost more than enough blood, lapsed into unconsciousness. The dark man smirked at that, then looked up to address his adversary. "You really should- …"

"Oh _my_~! Where did you come from? My my, you remind me of a certain someone, so much so that I could just cut you up with my little 'ole death scythe~" The Reaper seemed to be putting on a one-man dance, wiggling his body in all sorts of…provocative ways.

The dark one raised an eyebrow, managing to crack only a small smile. "She was right, you certainly are a nut. Now, Reaper, I would suggest you leave, as I do _not_ appreciate others going after my…prey."

"Oh, _no!_ Call me Grell, sweetie, or even Grell-y, if you're feeling frisky." It was rather disturbing how this 'Grell' switched sides so fast, but hopefully it would make getting away easier- "And I _do so_ like the frisky ones." He raised the sword and the mystery man tensed.

"Odd way to greet 'ones' you like."

"Ah, well, I don't like being _bored_, you see, and so-" Grell's voice was cut off as a figure managed to pencil dive right on his back, driving the red Reaper into the cobblestones.

What ensued was a surprisingly civil talk in which a certain "William T. Spears" apologized for the rash actions of a _certain_ reaper. Looking over the girl in the dark man's arms, he adjusted a pair of spectacles balancing on his nose. "It appears that, though that girl registers as an anomaly, we of the Grim Reaper Dispatch cannot at this time judge her right to life. We will work to correct the anomaly and until then, I bid you…?

The man looked down at the girl at his arms, then back to Spears. "Azazel."

"Azazel, goodnight."

Soon enough the odd pair was gone, leaving 'Azazel' with the hopefully-not-dead-yet girl in his arms and bleeding all over his rather nice suit. "Hmph, no apology for going after my prey? Though at least I was able to see…" he stared down at the girl and frowned. "She had better be willing to talk, since I'm going to the trouble of saving her life."

And so the lone figure carried the girl to the nearest doctor, with far from a full intention to pay the bill.

And Azazel arrives! Sort of another short chapter, but I realized that short = more + faster, so yeah~

The plot thickens….next time Abigail and Azazel get to have a nice little chat about this and that~


	5. Rest

Abigail awoke not because of the sharp pain across her chest, but because of the downright unnerving –and disturbingly familiar- chills she was getting, as if she was being watched. Cracking an eye open her light blue eyes locked with a familiar pair of icy blue.

One blink.

Two blinks.

"You look like this cat I know," she stated, staring the stranger from well-polished boots to trimmed cuffs to silky, though slightly ruffled, onyx-black hair. The stranger blinked again and Abigail scoffed. "He thought that was an answer for everything too."

The room had a canted ceiling, like an attic, and little furniture other than the small bed Abigail was lying in, the chair the man sat in, and what looked like an old spinning wheel in the corner. Tentatively Abigail slid her hands down and pushed herself into a sitting position in the bed already lines with pillows to make it easy.

"Oww… " The girl tried touching her chest, wrapped in white bandages, and frowned. She heard a shifting of Azel's –as she was subconsciously calling him- feet. "It's weird, is all. I mean, it hurts, but not nearly as much as it should…I did bleed a lot, I'm guessing." She looked up, having answered blue-eye's unasked question.

He figured he should return the favor. "Azazel, I've been told."

Abigail furrowed her brow. She was smart, and usually pretty quick, but she hadn't exactly had the best day…however long ago that was. You know, since the whole stabby-stabby thing went down. "Ah, right! You're…wait, seriously?" She was met with a frosty look. "Okay, so you _are_ the cat…weird… hey, I almost got your name right, didn't I?"

Abigail thought she saw his lips twitch, but figured she was just out of it from the blood-loss. "You named me."

"Oh, right! So I found you, then." She answered his questioning look, "My demon." She chuckled, knowing he'd think it the other way round. "But hey, wait a sec, I called you 'Azel'. Where's this 'Azazel' crap coming from?"

She swore she saw him bristle. "Azazel is better. And close enough." Abigail rolled her eyes. For all his 'I'm quiet and mysterious' act, Azel- Azazel seemed a bit…childish. Or maybe…endearing? She snorted at the thought.

"Okay, _Azazel_, tell me this- where the heck are we? Why aren't I in a hospital?"

Azazel shifted slightly on the chair, crossing his arms. "I did not care to pay."

"Then how did I get bandaged up?"

"I brought you to a doctor first."

"And you didn't pay?"

"…"

"And you just left? You know it'll take a lot of care for me to get better, right?"

"You heal fast. For a human."

"Thanks, I guess… so where are we?"

"Inn."

"Paying?"

"No."

"Owners?"

"Out."

"…Why?"

Azazel smiled. "Rat problem."

Abigail shook her head. "I don't see any rats."

"Yes, you do not."

The girl slapped her hand to her face and sighed in exasperation. She'd just have to drop it. Anyways, there were more interesting matters at hand. "So, I thought you were a cat."

"Sometimes."

"But…you aren't a cat now."

"Yes. Thank you, miss obvious."

Abigail stuck her tongue out at him, to which he replied with a Cheshire grin. If Azazel had been a cat, his tail would have been whipping back and forth, ready to chase anything that moved.

"So _why?_ And how?"

"Because I cannot very well talk as a cat."

"Well you aren't 'very well' talking much anyways," Abigail retorted.

At that Azazel leaned forwards, elbows on knees, and stared deeply into the girl's eyes. His voice was succinct and deadly serious. "I want to know why I have a contract with someone I have never met before."

Abigail, at first taken aback by his overpowering change in attitude, found herself smiling mischievously. "Ooh, that's the question, isn't it? Well, It's. A. Se-cret." She held and finger to her mouth and winked. Azazel looked not the least bit amused. "Look, Azzy, maybe you don't remember, but we _did_ make a contract. And, though you took awhile to figure it out, you know it's true." Abigail pulled down her sleeve, revealing the odd looking cloud markings on her arm that constituted the symbol of their contract. "_And_, though you didn't stop the red guy from _stabbing_ me, I forgive you. Why did you wait to do something, anyways?"

Azazel leaned backwards, his turn to have a fat-cat smile on his face. "Oh, maybe I thought it would be good for you." In truth, he had been unable to sense why he recognized the girl Abigail above normal humans until he had heard her past and about a 'Contract'. But no demon would admit to such a failure, especially not Azazel.

"Oh, and another thing. Don't think I haven't remembered your little trip into the bathroom and Abel's."

Azazel managed a perfect poker face. "What ever do you mean?"

"Just know this, -Tom: _I will get you for that."_

Azazel smirked. "Not like you could get anyone else, with a body like yours."

"Oh _ha ha_. Come closer so I can rip your whiskers off, won't you?"

Another smirk. "And that-" he announced, getting up, "-is my cue to leave."

"What? Where are you going?"

"Oh, this and that. Kill a few innocents, rob some stores-"

"Bat at some yarn ? Chase mice?"

" If you get lucky I may bring you back a mouse for breakfast." In a few moments he was out the door and Abigail flopped back on the bed with a huff.

"Did he have to mention food…?" It wasn't long before her body, in need of rest, pulled her into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

What was that girl? He had sensed something for him in this city ever since the Phantomhive boy's contract. Hoping that good things came in two and whatnot. And now, having waited, he found himself with the contract he'd hoped for. But he couldn't remember having made it…and he had a damn good memory, if he did say so himself. Though before her draw had been faint, Azazel now felt the girl called Abigail calling out to him. Even now he could tell she had remained in bed, her soul like a beacon to him. And, though he was loath to admit it, she did have an enviable soul, one that may rival even that of Phantomhive's. She also had an enviable body, for a human. Though _of course_ demons didn't care for that sort of thing… He smirked then, really more for himself than anyone else's benefit, and glided into the shadows of an alley, a lithe black cat padding out the other side. Time to do some digging.

* * *

**Writer's Note: Apologies for the wait, though I wanted to get Azazel's intro just right. Nothing much happened in this chapter, but next chapter is off to the Phantomhive Mansion (for real this time)!**


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